Fire at Yeongdeok wind turbine; All 3 workers dead
The Chosun Daily|Kwon Gwang-sun and Lee Seung-gyu|Mar 23, 2026
Three workers died in a fire at Wind Turbine No. 19 in Yeongdeok, South Korea, while inspecting blade cracks. The fire spread, prompting the deployment of 11 helicopters and extensive emergency personnel to manage the situation and prevent further damage. The entire wind farm has been shut down for investigation following this incident and a previous turbine collapse.
Three workers died in a fire at Wind Turbine No. 19 in Yeongdeok, South Korea, while inspecting blade cracks. The fire spread, prompting the deployment of 11 helicopters and extensive emergency personnel to manage the situation and prevent further damage. The entire wind farm has been shut down for investigation following this incident and a previous turbine collapse.
11 helicopters deployed as fire spreads to hillside
Three workers died after a fire broke out in the blade of Wind Turbine No. 19 at the wind power complex in Changpo-ri, Yeongdeok-eup, Yeongdeok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province. On the 2nd of last month, a wind turbine pole also collapsed at the same complex, hitting a road.
According to the Gyeongbuk Fire Department and Yeongdeok County on the 23rd, a fire broke out in a wind turbine at around 1:11 PM on that day. It was determined that at the time of the fire, three workers contracted for maintenance were inside the wind turbine inspecting and repairing cracks in the blades. The workers involved were identified as Mr. Kim (42), Mr. Moon (58), and Mr. Jeon (45), and all three were found …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]11 helicopters deployed as fire spreads to hillside
Three workers died after a fire broke out in the blade of Wind Turbine No. 19 at the wind power complex in Changpo-ri, Yeongdeok-eup, Yeongdeok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province. On the 2nd of last month, a wind turbine pole also collapsed at the same complex, hitting a road.
According to the Gyeongbuk Fire Department and Yeongdeok County on the 23rd, a fire broke out in a wind turbine at around 1:11 PM on that day. It was determined that at the time of the fire, three workers contracted for maintenance were inside the wind turbine inspecting and repairing cracks in the blades. The workers involved were identified as Mr. Kim (42), Mr. Moon (58), and Mr. Jeon (45), and all three were found dead inside the wind turbine.
According to fire authorities, one worker was found on the floor of the lowest level of the wind turbine around 2:34 PM. The remaining two missing workers were found around 4:33 PM inside the blade that had fallen to the ground due to the fire. It is said that the interior of a wind turbine blade is spacious enough for an adult male to stretch his arms horizontally with room to spare.
Firefighters, police, and forestry authorities have deployed 11 helicopters, 50 pieces of equipment, and 148 personnel to extinguish the fire and control roads in order to prevent damage caused by falling debris from wind turbine blades and to stop the fire from spreading to adjacent mountains.
There are a total of 24 wind turbines at the wind farm where the fire broke out. Previously, on the 2nd of last month, the column of Unit 21 collapsed, and currently, all wind turbines have been shut down. The plan was to determine whether to restart operations following an internal investigation by the power company, Yeongdeok Wind Power, and subsequent joint investigations.
The wind turbine that caught fire this time was Unit 19, manufactured by the Danish company Vestas, with an installed capacity of 1.65 MW, a tower height of 78 m, and a blade length of 40 m. Unit 19 was also shut down at the time of the work on that day.
A police official said, “We are currently investigating the exact cause of the accident.”